Unto Us
by drufan
Summary: Tag for S&R. It's that whole what's in a name thing...


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Unto Us

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"Integrity: A name is the blueprint of the thing we call character. You ask, What's in a name? I answer, Just about everything you do."

Morris Mandel

"When choosing a name, Teyla, try to think of an attribute you want your child to emulate or, perhaps, a person to honor," Halling had said as they sat in Michael's warehouse prison. It had been a moment of distraction from their situation, a moment to share the coming of her child into the Universe, such as it was. And perhaps Halling was fishing around for her to name the child after him.

"So, you chose Jinto because…?" She let her shoulder touch his for strength because she knew the answer.

"Because, my wife loved her uncle very much; and he was a great hunter and leader of the Northern Camp."

She had met the elder Jinto briefly before her father had been taken. Jinto had been taken in that same culling as well, so another meeting was never to be. Halling's wife, Janar, had been right to choose. He had been a great man.

It also answered why she did not choose Halling as a namesake. While he remained a respected elder of the Athosians and her dear friend, he was very closed minded on certain things. Not something she wanted to instill in her child.

Of course, Teyla had been pondering names for a long time. Her father's name had come easily and she had thought of stopping there. Excluding Halling, there were other men who would shape her child's life.

Four to be exact.

The four men were all so different and yet alike. They shared similar traits and yet handled those traits in a multitude of different ways. They were all unique individuals with their own way of doing things.

Her lover, Kanaan, was gentle, kind, and loving. All attributes she wanted for her baby. However, he was still tentative in his decision making. This was not a quality she wanted to encourage, even if blood lines had a different say. It remained a contention between them.

That left her with her team. However, she knew which one to pick already. Only one was really an option. She meant no slight to the other two or disrespect.

Rodney was brilliant and clever. He handled pressure in his own unique way that led to his unfaltering dependability. He helped her deliver her baby and she would be forever grateful. He was there in her moment of most need.

Ronon was strong, brave, and loyal. He was her friend and brother in many ways. He stood by her throughout the pregnancy, a steadfast guardian.

She loved them both.

But John--

John embodied all of these qualities. He possessed the braveness, loyalty, fierceness, cleverness and dependability of the others. Most importantly, he possessed one more trait that she wanted for her son: decisiveness. When John Sheppard made up his mind, he made things happen. Right or wrong, he would fight tooth and nail for what he believed was the right thing. He never gave up.

Her definitive proof had been his rescue of Ronon. He moved the might and minds of Atlantis and Earth to rescue an alien. John saw all on his team as equal. He recognized in each individual their uniqueness and the best in each of them. He had made those above and below him comply with the rescue and it had meant so much to her.

That one single action had given her hope during her own capture. He would not stop. He would bend the rules (and as she found out later, those rules included time itself) to come after her and her child. Failure to him was not an option. It might happen, but it was not an option. He was always looking for the path to success, especially when it meandered. When she heard the P90 discharging its bullets on Michael's ship, she knew her faith had not been misplaced.

Later, when standing on the planet, after being released from the Wraith storage unit and watching the Dart swing around, she had not yet fully realized the lengths (including the trials of time and health) of which he had gone. The dart landed gently, but the canopy, after a very long minute, had not opened. Ronon climbed up, leaving her supported by Rodney and Kanaan.

"Sheppard! Open up!" Ronon banged with his fist on the canopy. It remained closed for another few seconds before dissolving.

John sat slumped against the side of the interior. "Sorry, can you grab him?" he asked looking at Ronon.

Ronon gently took her son and brought him over to her. She looked back at the air craft, where John remained seated, breathing heavily through his nose. John finally blew out a breath and pushed himself up only to sit back down, hard, into the cockpit.

"Whoa," he breathlessly grunted. He blinked and visibly swallowed.

Rodney let go of her and walked toward the ship, concern rippling his jaw muscles. Ronon jogged over and crawled back onto the wing of the dart. He squatted next to his friend. "You still don't have to do everything, you know."

With an amused snort, John accepted Ronon's help with an outstretched hand.

Teyla felt a little chagrinned. Maybe it was because of the bright sunlight, instead of the darkness and gloom of the Cruiser, but she finally noticed the condition of her teammates. Rodney had rips and tears on his jacket that swaddled her son. Ronon and Rodney were covered in dust. All three had cuts and bruises on their faces. And, as John stepped down off of the dart with Ronon and Rodney's help, she noticed his arm clutching his side and a dark and widening stain on his pants and shirt.

She did have a good excuse. She had been busy escaping, giving birth and worrying for the safety of herself and her son. But still, she felt a little silly at not recognizing that their journey to this point in time had not been without an ordeal.

"What happened to you?" She studied each team member and stepped forward, away from Kanaan.

Rodney turned and gave her a look that answered the question before he opened his mouth. "What hasn't? Let's get back to Atlantis and then we can fill you in on the fun and excitement since you've been gone."

"McKay, go dial," Ronon ordered, taking John's weight as Rodney let go.

Rodney looked annoyed, apologetic and worried within the space of a couple of seconds, but he did as Ronon ordered. They were home within a minute and then everything happened so fast. People welcomed her back. Medical personnel whisked her son and her off to the infirmary. Tests and more tests and more tests…When it finally calmed down, she found herself with just her son and John.

It had taken awhile before he was suitably prepared to go in for surgery. By then, the story had been told by several different people. Looking down at the perfect, bald head, she was ready to officially name her son. Torren for her father and John for the man in the neighboring bed.

He could be ruthless or merciful as the situation warranted. Or at least bluff the two opposite traits, which was a handy skill to have in Pegasus. John Sheppard was the leader of her team. He symbolized hope for the future and integrity in decision.

He journeyed through time itself to get her back. He risked his career and his health to be sitting next to her and playing on his little hand-held game. He was not perfect. He could be infuriating. Yet, she recognized him as a good man-- a template for Torren to become one himself someday. John's strength of character shone in the darkest of times. He presented himself as a good role model for her son. Most importantly, he was her friend and, just as she loved her other two teammates, she loved him.

Even though, she had not taken into account, as Dr. Keller had said, the name would annoy Rodney. Well, he should not have screamed like a little child when her placenta finally arrived before beaming into the Dart. To his credit, he did not drop her baby during the delay.

But still, kidney stones indeed.


End file.
